I was at the Groundlings, and my manager encouraged me to submit a tape of all my characters and sketches to “SNL.” They invited me to come audition after that.

There were a couple things that made it to the show, one being Aunt Linda, who was the movie critic on “Weekend Update,” and I did the Target Lady as well. But I’ve never even seen the tape that they sent in, because I don’t like watching myself. You never think they’re going to say yes.

Confessions of a Tooth Fairy written and performed by Kristen Wiig & Melinda HillCreditCreditVideo by Melinda Hill

The Anxiety

I talked to Will Forte [in preparation]. My manager had some of her other clients audition, so she knew the deal. I was told: “You’re going to be in a dark room. Don’t be thrown off if they don’t laugh. You don’t need wigs or props. Just do five minutes.”

That’s really all the advice you can give somebody. They said the audition should be five minutes long, and do not go over five minutes. I ended up buying a stopwatch because I was so nervous that I was going to go over five minutes, and they were going to be upset. I would time it and it would say, “5:02,” and I would be like: “I’m going to get this. I’m going to get this in five minutes exactly.” Then I heard that some people were out there for 11 minutes. I was like, “What?”

The Lorne Meeting

I auditioned, and I was told to stay an extra day because Lorne wanted to meet with me. When you’re on the show, you get that chance after performing for the producers and Lorne for five minutes. So it’s really hard to tell how a person is, or if they’re crazy, or something’s off about them. But I barely remember [the conversation], because I was so nervous. I just remember he was telling me a story about Chevy Chase, and I was looking at the fish tank and thinking, “Oh my gosh, this guy has a huge fish tank in his office.” I just wanted to make a good impression and say the right things, and at the same time be myself.

The Callback

We met, we talked, I sweat. I took it all in and nervously laughed. And that was it. And didn’t hear anything. Then they asked me to audition again, and my first thought was, “What am I going to do?” I feel like I did everything in my first one, and it was a good lesson in developing other things really quickly, and impressions, and trying to maybe put in a character that I didn’t put in the first one.

I remember feeling a little more comfortable [the second time] because I knew what the building looked like, and the stage manager was the same guy who was bringing me out. I’m not a stand-up, so I don’t ever perform onstage by myself. This was: “Hi, I’m Kristen. Here’s my stuff.” The only light in the room is on you. You hear voices, and you see the red light on the camera go on, and you just have to do it. It made me have such a stronger respect for comedians — people that just get up there with a microphone and talk to the audience. To me, that’s just terrifying.

I did a very timely impression of Jane Pauley. [Laughs.] Looking back, I’m like, “Why did I do that?” She wasn’t on the “Today” show anymore. That was just a sign of things to come, because I always played older women with short hair. So why not just throw Jane Pauley in the audition and let ‘em know what they’re getting?

In some ways it was almost more nerve-racking the second time. And then the season started, so that to me was a clear indication that it wasn’t going to happen. [Laughs.] Then, after the third show, I got a call saying that I got it, and they wanted me to come out in two days and watch a show, so I watched the fourth show, and the fifth show I was on. Just like that.

The ‘Yes’

[The fourth episode of the season] was Lance Armstrong. I’ll never forget it. You’re looking at all of these people, and you feel like you’re in the way. You’re trying to be in the back, and you’re like, “Oh my gosh, Amy Poehler’s walking by.” Everyone’s changing their costumes really fast, and the music’s playing, and the band is up there the whole time. You’re taking it all in, and of course you’re thinking: “I have to be on live TV next week. I hope I don’t swear.”

[I told] my parents, because they’d been supporting me all through it. It was nice to be able to explain what I’d been doing for the past five years. At the Groundlings, [Ms. Wiig’s parents] were like, “So, you do this show every week, and you don’t get paid?” And I’m like, “No, that’s not what it’s about.” They were, of course, extremely happy. We were all nervous and excited and fearful. It was really taking a step off a ledge and not knowing what was on the other side. You just hope people are laughing on the way down.